Hocking Hills: Old Man’s Cave

This is one hike I highly recommend to do with the whole family! It’s truly a magical getaway nestled in an unassuming state like Ohio.

Location:

Outside of Columbus, OH. Approximately a 2 hour drive from Cincinnati. It’s actually a doable one day trip!

Our family left Cincinnati around 1:30 pm, arrived at 4 pm with some bathroom breaks, and left for home just as the sun began to set.

Map Directions:

OH-664 Logan, OH 43138

Distance:

Gorge Rim Trail is 2 miles, perfect for hiking with toddlers.

Check out other trails if you’re kid-free for a longer hike since there are steep drop offs.

Park Details:

Dogs are allowed on these trails!

Easy to navigate with a toddler, but there was at least one high ridge where I purposely kept my kiddo far away from the edge.

We brought headlamps thinking they might be needed for the caves. Spoiler alert: they weren’t. But they did come in handy as the sun set at the end of the day. The park closes at sunset, so ideally you wouldn’t need them at all.

Our visit was on a beautiful day in Feb. and it was in the later part of the day just after a recent snow melt. This is significant for two reasons (we were so happy to visit when we did!):

1. I could see this place becoming easily packed around lunchtime, especially in the summer.

2. The water was gorgeously flowing from the snow melt which apparently hadn’t occurred in quite some time.

Somehow, we lucked out, but now that you know, you can plan accordingly.

Visit Hocking Hills State Park Website for more info.